Sports Impact Technologies, an Irish startup which has developed a compact, behind-the-ear sports wearable that detects head impacts in real-time to enhance player safety and performance by eliminating undetected concussions, today announced that it has secured €650,000 in pre-seed funding.
The young company was founded in 2022 by Eóin Tuohy, is headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin. This pre-seed investment round, led by private investors with the support of Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Startup (HPSU) funding, will be used by Sports Impact Technologies to accelerate the roll-out of the company’s beta product.
The wearable sensor, which is sport and player agnostic and sits comfortably and discreetly behind the ear, monitors head impacts during a game by recording head accelerations. Data and alerts are transmitted in real-time via an app to coaches, medical staff, or safety officials who can then make an informed decision to take a player off the pitch to be assessed for concussion, reducing the risk of further injury and ensuring player safety on the field.
Eóin Tuohy, CEO and founder, Sports Impact Technologies said: “It is estimated that between 5% and 10% of players experience a concussion in any given sports season, with 5 in 10 concussions going unreported or undetected leading to players experiencing long-term health implications. Using our smart sensor technology to monitor head impacts in real-time, our goal is to make unrecognised concussions a thing of the past protecting athletes, optimising their performance, and enabling participation.”
He added, “We’re thrilled to have closed this funding round with the backing of both private investors and Enterprise Ireland. The investment will support the final stages of product development and help us bring our beta wearable to market. We are launching beta-testing programmes with pilot customers in sports ranging from American football to rugby to soccer, hockey and GAA football this September, which will provide valuable real-world data and position us for a full product launch early next year.”
Sports Impact Technologies previously completed the Enterprise Ireland funded New Frontiers Programme at TU Dublin and secured €100k in Enterprise Ireland PSSF funding. The company, also an ESA BIC client company, was named the winner of the ‘Best New Start’ Award in the Connacht and Leinster regional final of 2024 InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition.
